New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-07-27
Joshua 7rue's Experiment.

tsUncle'' Joshua True and Solomon
Baskins lived in the double house on
Cedar street. "No roof is large enough
to cover two families''-in this case
there were children, and the tenements
were not properly separated. The
True's had to enter the Baskins' 'spart''
TO go down cellar; the Baskins the
True's to go up stairs; one could always
gaze into the kitchen; the other did
not pause, but was sure to leave the
cellar door open, which caused ''hard
feelings" at times between the femi-
nine heads of the tribes Aunt True,
who was Immediately neat was es-
pecially tormented. The Baskinses
reveled in her clean paths, turned her
front steps into a mud-pie bakery, and
even Baby Baskins lolled there when
his attire was most disordered.
One would conclude that they be-
sieved in having 'sall things in COM
mon,'' but just let them see Bert True
fll his pockets with their apples! Then
the shrill cry was:
s'Them's ourn-you' We took EN- from
our side!''
The discussion that followed was so
personal that it had to be siIenced by
She parents, who did so from principle,
for each secretly inclined to ssour side"
uncle true who suffered most, because
the Baskinses were most, said:
tNeighbor Baskins, children as
young as yourn has got to be
fenced of, stands to reason" adding
practically, chow be they agoing to
know which is which.
sit amt all the childrenr' put in
Mrs. Baskins. your wife didn't
know which was which when she used
out O. my firkin O. barberry sass all
last wintern'
So the landlord divided them, from
the front gate to the double doors; from
the .'stoops' in the rear straight
sshrough the back yard. To be sure
there was in the True's cellar an open
ing to a chimney that ran through
the Baskins part but that seemed
then Of no Importance, fol- it was never
used.
After the bones of contention were
equally portioned, both tribes frater-
nized over the new back yard fence.
Said Baskins with great decision:
Just let me know if any of our
young ones climb over!'' Adding
Whats the good of fence if it don't
mean nothing?''
This sentiment elected from Uncle
True a fervent That's so! And if
our Bert trespasses I'll be obleeged if
you'll tell nell
The children literally s'sat upon''
that fence for hours, coveting forbidden
places. If the Baskinses played ball it
was sure to fall upon Uncle True
green surely it was a boys high priv
iege to scale a fence"
At last Sabbath dawned that Uncle
True never forgot. Something he
thinks now was Satan himself-sud-
denly prompted him TO stay at home.
Guess won't go to meetin' to-day,
asaaely," be said; I'm feelin' a little
ssknl;'' fayorite expression, although
Tie was very stout. Y GU and Bert 90
and fill up the pew
Bert's health also had declined since
Saturday; so he demurred, and was
sternly rebuked by his father. Mrs.
True also hung back, saying she was
not ..myself," but Uncle True persist
ed in thinking she was, and his chosen
representative. s.
Because let up once in a while it's
no reason everybody else should!''
Said Uncle True. 81 We got to watch
the place; 'tother part'll be empty
Mis- Baskins has taken the baby to her
mother and the rest are goin to
xneetin' -
It took much urging to start Uncle
True s family off 8Without him.
sStran &c can t stay to home once
& without working SO hard for it." he
muttered as he elongated himself mp
on the sitting oom loun &c. Been
bout as cheap to have shaved up and
gone. too.
But even now, dispete the quiet u IN
Gle True could not rest He " ent into
the yard, scarcely knowing what to do
3 with the sacred hour. He walked
slowly down the little path. paused to
solemnly inspect the upsprin cling
Z lettuce, pondered before the hennery till
the inmates were alarmed at the unusu-
81 al attention, fingered in meditation
sweet over the pigpen until the
4 occupant rose from his Sabbeth nap
and approached him with an inter
rogative grunt.
Suddenly something like small
black cloud came between him and the
sun; Uncle True. started guilty
mature about to punish him for eYadine
religious privileges? Then he saw
Il, at it was a swarm Of bees lowering
directly over his bald pate! Uncle True
covered it with both hands and fled tc
81 the house. Like q living ball they hung